Poll Finds That Voters Associate The Word 'Rapist' With Trump

A plurality of voters associate the word 'rapist' with President Donald Trump

Pollsters hired by PerryUndem and Supermajority, a women's activist non profit, found that a plurality of voters associate the word 'rapist' with President Donald Trump, according to Slate.

What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of President Donald Trump and women? Pollsters from PerryUndem and Supermajority, a new women’s activism nonprofit, asked 1,912 likely 2020 voters to try this free-association exercise. And wouldn’t you know it—a plurality of respondents saidrapist.

I’m no communications professional, but to me, these results seem to identify a serious messaging problem the president may have around issues of gender. You can’t really do worse than rapist when it comes to the public perception of your approach to women. Sure, 2.1 percent of respondents came up with abuser—but that’s more of an amorphous description of a person’s conduct than a specific, identifiable crime. (Is it emotional abuse? A groping thing?) And yeah, 2.9 percent said predator—but that’s a general state of being, not a real accusation. And OK, 5.1 percent went with misogynist—but what politician who’s called for the punishment of abortion-seeking women hasn’t been hit with that label? It’s small potatoes. When 6.3 percent of people in a demographically weighted survey blurt out rapist when they hear your name with the word women, though? Yeesh! No place to go from there but up!